Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

FROM STAFF REPORTS

MONTEVALLO – For the ninth year in a row, Montevallo Main Street has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards.

Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of designated programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.

Main Street America recognizes two tiers of national designation—Affiliate and Accredited. These designations are a powerful advocacy tool, signaling to local stakeholders and city, state and national funders that a Main Street program has an established position within a nationwide movement with a 45-year proven track record of generating impressive economic returns, building local capacity, creating welcoming and inviting communities and creating lasting impact.

“Main Street America is proud to recognize this year’s 821 Accredited Main Street America programs for their commitment to building strong and vibrant communities,” said Erin Barnes, president and CEO of Main Street America. “Their tireless efforts show what’s possible when engaged leaders work together to shape places that reflect the people they serve. The continued impact of our network shows that the Main Street movement remains a powerful force for positive transformation.”

Montevallo Main Street’s performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by the organization’s personnel and board of directors and Main Street Alabama, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national community evaluation standards.

These standards provide the Main Street America network with a strong foundational framework to review progress, recognize strengths, understand trends and identify strategies that move Main Street programs forward. To qualify for Accredited status—Main Street America’s top designation tier—communities must demonstrate a proven track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach and exceptional performance in six areas.

The six areas are broad-based community commitment to revitalization, inclusive leadership and organizational capacity, diversified funding and sustainable program operations, strategy-driven programming, preservation-based economic development and demonstrated impact and results.

In 2024, Main Street America programs generated $7.65 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,324 new businesses, facilitated the creation of 33,835 new jobs, rehabilitated 10,126 historic buildings and logged 1.9 million volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, $21.73 was reinvested into their downtown and commercial corridor communities.

Downtown Montevallo welcomed four new businesses in 2024 and has added three more in 2025, bringing a grand total of 32 net new/relocating businesses downtown since Montevallo’s Main Street program was established in 2016. Main Street volunteers served more than 3,700 hours in 2024, with a total of 23,480 hours being served since 2016. Nearly $6 million public dollars and $11 million private dollars have been invested downtown during that time.

“We are proud to earn accredited status every year since 2017,” said Courtney Bennett, executive director of Montevallo Main Street. “Our core team of 35 volunteers work tirelessly to make downtown Montevallo beautiful, thriving and exciting. Last year, we hosted or supported 39 special events that brought people downtown and supported the arts. I’m proud that we were able to add a vibrant new mural to downtown last fall thanks to a grant from Main Street Alabama and also complete five Façade Grants, adding to the beauty of our historic buildings.”

“We celebrated nine graduates after our third year of offering the CO.STARTERS program and we also started the K.A.S.H. Market program for kids with an entrepreneurial spirit. Thanks to grants offered by Main Street Alabama, we were grateful for the opportunity to offer competitive grants to select businesses through the AL SPARK program. Every year keeps getting better and better.”

For more information on Montevallo Main Street, visit Cityofmontevallo.com/MontevalloMainStreet.aspx.